Vengeance
by foolofatook001
Summary: So, another AU, this time in space, in which there are pirates, attempted assassinations, and probably too many nerd references. Rated T for violence. - ON A BREAK RIGHT NOW -
1. The Galaxy

1\. The Galaxy

 **Water Tribe:** Humanoid. Common characteristics include darker skin, blue eyes, and dark hair. Low-level empathic ability; rarely, healing ability. The Water Tribe are generally a compassionate race, but they are capable warriors as well. There is a hierarchy of clans within the tribe, with each clan leader answering to the tribal chief. The current Water Tribe chief is Hakoda.

 **Ba Sing Se Cluster:** The area known as the Ba Sing Se Cluster is made up of an amalgam of species, including the Oma, the Shu, the Chong, the Zhang, and the Gan Jin. All these peoples are hardworking, industrious, clever, and inventive. The Ba Sing Se merchants carry the finest goods in the galaxy and shipping is the majority of their industry. However, the quality of goods and number of ships carrying them makes the cluster the main target of space pirates. The Ba Sing Se Cluster is ruled by elected parliament.

 **I. Oma:** Humanoid. The Oma are the most populous species in the Cluster, occupying most of the member worlds. The Oma vary in appearance, due to interbreeding with both Water Tribe and A'pa. Most Oma have green eyes (varying shades), however, and under no circumstances would you ever find a hairless Oma, A'pa heritage notwithstanding.

 **II. Shu:** Humanoid. The Shu are the second-most populous species in the Cluster, and cohabit peacefully with the other races. The Shu are made of living stone, which varies in hue, and are tremendously strong; most Shu can lift around five times their body weight.

 **III. Chong:** The Chong are semi-nomadic, catlike humanoids with a fondness for music and - famously - parties. While sometimes hard to take seriously, the Chong often have a unique way of looking at situations, and are therefore valued in the Parliament.

 **IV. Zhang:** The Zhang are small, furry, bearlike creatures of… questionable intelligence and great ferocity that are always clothed in varying shades of purple. They have been involved in a blood feud with the Gan Jin for time immeasurable, and can always be counted upon to be as contrary as possible - unless they think it will harm the Gan Jin, in which case they are all for it. The rest of the Parliament just puts up with them.

 **V. Gan Jin:** Nearly indistinguishable from the Zhang, the only real physical difference between the two is the Gan Jin's love of the color green, instead of purple. They are every bit as fierce as the Zhang, but are more active in the Parliament and seem to be able to be able to overlook their hatred of the Zhang for brief periods of time.

 **Agni Kai:** Humanoid. The Agni Kai are an extremely territorial race that inhabit several planets along the outer rim of the galaxy, known for their fierce aggression when provoked. Agni Kai are fair-skinned, with amber or gold eyes and dark hair. Their government is a monarchy, ruled by the Fire Lord, who is also the supreme commander of the sizable military - in fact, it's the largest in the galaxy. All Agni Kai citizens are required to serve three years (at a minimum) in either the army or the Armada. The Agni Kai have a strict code of honor both on the battlefield and off of it, and while they are fearsome opponents, they will never do anything that violates this code of honor, such as killing civilians or unarmed combatants, maltreatment of prisoners, or torture. Agni Kai fight duels often; if a slight to their honor is perceived, they are quick to amend the situation on the field of battle. Perhaps as a result, Agni Kai healers are second only to those of the Water Tribe.

 **A'pa:** Humanoid. The A'pa are fair-skinned and slender. They are hairless, but adults (age 16 and above) sport interconnected blue arrow tattoos on their heads, arms, and legs, the symbolism of which is known only to them. They are a naturally curious people, and are most often found on starships as navigators, exploring the galaxy. The A'pa are traditionally allied most closely with the Water Tribe. They are mostly group wanderers, with no real government, and if there is an A'pa homeworld, it has long been forgotten.


	2. Pirates

Rated T because pirates are violent and bloody people.

* * *

2\. Pirates

* * *

"Engines to full ahead," ordered Zuko, heir to the Agni Kai Empire, sitting back in the captain's chair. He felt the hum of the engines increase in intensity and allowed himself to relax momentarily. They were in Agni Kai territory now, and he didn't have to worry about pirate bands. He was also looking forward to returning home - he'd been inspecting military outposts at the far reaches of the Empire for the last two weeks, and he was more than ready to be done.

The science officer's console pinged. "Sensors indicate unknown ship approaching," he reported. "Their shields are up."

"On screens," Zuko said. The ship - a large freighter - appeared to be damaged. "Hail them," he ordered. The Code required Agni Kai to offer assistance to any ship that needed it. Even if the freighter wasn't in trouble, he would certainly give them an escort to the edge of the Empire's boundaries - surely they knew outsiders were not welcome this close to the Agni Kai homeworld.

"No response, Captain," the communications officer reported.

"Ship still approaching," the science officer warned.

"Try again," said Zuko. "Shift engines to reverse, but hold position. Arm laser cannons," he added. The helmsman slowly shifted the engines into reverse. The weapons officer relayed the order through his comms unit.

"Receiving reply, Captain," the communications officer said.

"On screens," Zuko said, sitting up a little straighter. The image of the freighter was replaced with the smoky interior of a ship's bridge.

"This is the Agni Kai ship _Blue Spirit,_ " Zuko said. "Can we be of assistance?"

"This is - the Ba Sing Se ship _Heart of Glass_ ," the Oma man slumped in the captain's chair coughed. "We were set upon by pirates not far from here, but we managed to get past them. They gave up the chase a little while ago, though I don't know why."

"You are currently within the borders of the Agni Kai Empire," Zuko said dryly. "The pirates know what happens if we catch them here. Honorless scum," he added, almost as an afterthought. "Is your ship damaged? Do you have any injured crew?"

"Our ship has sustained some damage, but nothing major," the other captain replied. "No injured."

"Then we will provide you with an escort to the border," said Zuko, in a tone that brooked no argument.

"I really don't think - " the Oma captain started, but Zuko cut him off.

"Outsiders are not allowed within 100 klicks of the Agni Kai homeworld," he said, a cold edge in his voice. "And you are dangerously close to that range. We _will_ escort you to the border. And if you continue to refuse, we _will_ open fire, in accordance with the Code's specifications for defense of the homeworld."

The Oma captain swallowed. "It will be as you say."

"Good. _Blue Spirit_ out," Zuko said, and the communication was shut off. "Engines back to forward," he ordered. "Tell the gun crews to stand down."

Outside, the _Heart of Glass_ was turning slowly. The _Blue Spirit_ fired up her engines and kept pace, heading back to the border.

Suddenly there was a deafening explosion that rocked the ship. "Shield status!" Zuko roared, furious. Someone was _firing on_ his ship - while still in Agni Kai territory!

"Eighty-three percent and falling," the helmsman reported.

"What hit us?" Zuko demanded.

"Unknown, sir," the science officer replied. "Sensors aren't getting anything."

"Stealth ship," Zuko growled. Stolen pirate tech. "Arm laser cannons!"

There was another explosion. "Shields?" asked Zuko, gripping the arms of the captain's chair so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Sixty percent," said the helmsman.

Zuko had to make a conscious effort to keep from swearing in front of his crew. If only he could _see_ the attacking ship! Then an idea occurred to him. "Arm EMP," he said.

"Captain, at this range it'll knock _our_ shields out as well," his first officer said cautiously.

"If they hit us again, it won't matter," Zuko replied firmly. "Launch."

There was a moment before the explosion, a slight lull, and then the EMP's blinding white light shone out through the screen. Zuko shut his eyes.

When he opened them again, the _Heart of Glass_ was still visible on the front screen, but there was no sign of the mysterious attacker.

"Shields disabled," said the helmsman. "Five minutes until they're back online."

"See if you can find them," Zuko directed his science officer, who was already bent over his console, adjusting the sensor arrays.

An alarm screamed out. "Hull breach!" the helmsman cried. The bridge doors slammed shut, sealing them in.

"Where?" Zuko demanded.

"Engineering," replied the helmsman, frantically trying to isolate the leak. Zuko hit the intercom.

"Engineering! What's going on?"

No reply. Zuko scowled.

"Lieutenant Chan! What is going on?"

The comm crackled. " _The lieutenant can't speak to you at the moment, Captain. He's currently a bit occupied with trying to survive outside the ship without a suit."_ Zuko heard rough laughter in the background. Pirates. He'd just been boarded by pirates. This whole thing was a setup.

"What do you want?" he asked, barely controlled fury in his voice.

 _"We've been hired to make sure you're dead,_ Prince Zuko," said the man. " _So once we finish with your engines, we'll - "_

Zuko didn't let him finish. "Security!" he barked, switching to a secure channel.

" _Yessir?"_

"Send three units to Engineering."

" _On our way, Captain. Chief of Security ou- "_ He was interrupted by a tremendous explosion that sent half the bridge crew flying.

"Engines inoperable, Captain," said the helmsman, sounding shaken.

The comm crackled again. " _Engineering to Bridge. You're next. Out._ "

There was dead silence on the bridge. "Battle stations," Zuko said finally, then hit the intercom. "All hands to battle stations!" he roared. "We have been boarded! Shoot to kill!" Then he stood, drawing his laser pistol. The other officers on the bridge did likewise.

It wasn't long before the pirates began trying to break through the bridge doors. "Come on," Zuko snarled. They were here to kill him, were they? So be it. He wasn't afraid of death - no Agni Kai was. His only concern was taking as many of them down with him as he possibly could.

The door was glowing red-hot - they must be using laser cutters, Zuko thought. Then the section they had carved out fell forward with a crash, and a veritable army of pirates swarmed through the gap.

"Open fire!" Zuko yelled, though he was sure his officers needed no such encouragement. They laid down a blanket of laser fire; the oncoming row of pirates fell. Zuko bit back a surge of pride. You didn't mess with a ship of the Armada, even a smaller one like the _Blue Spirit._

But there were too many of them. The pirates continued pouring through the bridge doors- probably reinforced by the freighter, Zuko thought dimly, as he fired again and again.

By some terrible luck, he was the last man standing on the bridge. He was exhausted, and his arms ached, and his shoulder and thigh stung where laser bursts had grazed him. He knew he couldn't hold out much longer. He had ducked behind the helmsman's console for cover, and now stood to fire off another shot. A sharp pain blossomed in his side, and he heard rough laughter as the pirates abruptly ceased firing. Zuko looked down, uncomprehending, and saw the handle of a vibro-knife sticking out of his side.

The pirates began to head out. Zuko lifted his pistol to shoot them, show them he wasn't dead yet, that they shouldn't write him off, but it wasn't honorable to shoot a man in the back, so he tried to move forward, to chase after them - then they'd turn and fight - but his feet were heavy as weights. He sank down, his back to the helmsman's console, his legs suddenly unable to hold him up. He was panting; he couldn't get enough air into his lungs. His side was in excruciating pain, but he couldn't pull out the knife or he'd bleed out. He was dizzy.

The last pirate turned to look at him. "I'd shoot you, but I was told to show no mercy," he said, and Zuko recognized his voice - he was the one from Engineering, who'd thrown Lieutenant Chan into space.

"Who - " he started, then coughed. He tasted blood.

"Wouldn't you like to know," the pirate leered. Zuko tried to get his pistol up high enough to shoot him, but couldn't seem to manage it. The pirate looked him over disparagingly. "Pull the knife out. You'll die faster." And then he left.

A few minutes later, Zuko felt the ship moving. They were towing the _Blue Spirit_ out of Agni Kai territory. Clever. He coughed into his hand and watched the blood run down his wrist.

He finally allowed himself one panted curse as the bridge began to fade in and out before his oxygen-starved eyes. He could barely stay upright. He felt weak, and hated himself for it - but what was that Uncle was always telling him? Never give up without a fight. He could stay conscious until help came. He _would_.

In the end, it wasn't up to him. The ship, which had been gently drifting behind the freighter, was released from the tractor beam with a jerk that jarred the whole ship - and the knife in Zuko's ribs, sending another surge of pain through him.

He blacked out.


	3. The Ship

3\. The Ship

* * *

"For the last time, Toph, _no_ , you can't pilot my ship!" Sokka cried, exasperated, as they made their way through the crowded hangar. Katara and Aang shared a look behind their backs.

"Why _not_?" Toph demanded, hands on her hips. A group of vibrant Shu strode past them, nodding to Toph as they passed; she acknowledged them with a careless wave. Katara rolled her eyes.

"Because you don't have a license, that's why!" said Sokka, stomping up the _Penguin Runner_ 's gangplank.

"So?" Toph asked, following him. Aang and Katara weren't far behind them. The interior of Sokka's new ship was still surprisingly clean, though she didn't expect _that_ to last. Katara followed the rest of the gang up to the cockpit, where Sokka was fiercely trying to keep Toph away from the pilot's seat. Katara grinned as the small Shu girl grabbed Sokka and lifted him above her head.

"Toph! Put me down!" he screamed, furious.

"Not until you say I can pilot your ship," Toph said, unperturbed by neither the weight nor the yelling.

"I could co-pilot for her," Aang offered, a spark of mischief in his eyes. "You can trust _me_." Sokka craned his neck to look at the A'pa boy.

"Are you suggesting that I be a passenger on my own ship?" he demanded in scandalized tones.

"Or," Katara said, employing the diplomacy for which she had gained intergalactic recognition, "Sokka can pilot, Toph can co-pilot, and Aang can still navigate. Then we won't have any problems."

There was a pause, as all parties concerned considered this.

"Sounds good," declared Toph, and Katara knew it was settled.

"Can we see the rest of your ship, Sokka?" she asked, wanting to distract her brother before he realized that he's been talked into a compromise in which Toph got partial control of his ship. He brightened immediately.

"Sure!" He led them down the ladder into the main body of the ship. "There's the bunkroom, that's the head, there's some cargo storage - and down this ladder is a sort of conference room thing, the med-bay, and the galley. And below _that_ is the weapons turret, which is a WT-275 laser turret with…" Katara's eyes glazed over as he brother went on and on about his ship's weaponry. She glanced over at Aang and saw the same expression mirrored on his face. Toph was hanging on Sokka's every word, nodding enthusiastically, though that was to be expected - she always did have a weakness for weapons. And Water Tribe boys.

"That's great, Sokka," Katara said finally, interrupting him mid-adjective. "But shouldn't we be leaving soon? You told Dad we'd be back as soon as the summit was over."

"Right, right," said Sokka, heading for the cockpit.

"I think I'll come with you guys," Toph announced.

"Well, we _were_ planning on giving you a lift," Katara reminded her. "Since you live one planet over from the government center and all."

"No, I mean to your homeworld. I've never actually been out of the Cluster, and it'll be fun to hang out with you guys for a little longer."

"What about your parents?" asked Katara. Toph's parents, leaders of the majority party in the Ba Sing Se Parliament, were famously overprotective.

"I'll give 'em a call," Toph shrugged.

There was a pause. Katara raised an eyebrow, waiting.

"Oh, you mean _now?_ " Toph asked.

"Yes. Preferably before takeoff."

"Okay," Toph said, stepping into the galley. "Give me a sec, I'll meet you up in the cockpit."

"Ready for takeoff," Sokka said, putting his comm in his ear. "Ba Sing Se Tower, this is Water Tribe ship _Penguin Runner,_ requesting permission to take off."

"Penguin Runner, _this is the Tower. Cleared for takeoff. Thank you for visiting the capital,_ " the Tower control's bored voice replied.

"Preflight check," Sokka said. "Fuel mixture?"

"42,000 ppm," Toph replied, glancing at the readout in front of her.

"Internal pressure?"

"Normal."

"Oxygen filters?"

"Filters on and functioning within normal parameters."

"Art-grav?"

"One gee and holding steady."

"Coordinates?"

"Laid in and ready."

"Seatbelts?"

"… What?"

"Seatbelts," Sokka repeated. "Does everyone have a seatbelt on?" Toph glanced around the cockpit.

"Yep," she said.

"Okay," said Sokka, firing up the engines. "Here we go!"

They'd been traveling for about three hours when the nav-computer pinged. Katara looked up from the agricultural report she'd been reading. Aang glanced over the readout. "Nav-computer says there's an obstruction 200 klicks ahead of us."

"What do the sensors say?" Sokka asked, not taking his eyes off the main screens.

"Um… ship of some sort," Aang reported. Toph came over, looking at the screen over his shoulder.

"It's leaking oxygen," she said, frowning. "And the sensors are picking up traces of fuel mixture in the surrounding area. I think they're damaged pretty badly."

"What are their coordinates?" Sokka asked, slowing the ship to half-speed. Katara set down her report.

"67x, 92y, 3z," said Aang, typing it into the nav-computer.

"I'll get the med-kit," said Katara, heading for sickbay. She grabbed one of the portable med-kits out of the cabinet and hurried back to the cockpit. While she was gifted with the rare healing ability of the Water Tribe, it was a severe drain on her energy, and judging from the sensor readout, this was a large ship, with lots of potentially injured crewmembers.

When she got back up to the cockpit, the damaged ship was clearly visible through the front windows. She couldn't hold back a gasp. The ship - pretty large, sleek, military-class - had been ripped apart, showing burn marks on the outer hull where laser bursts and space debris had made their impact. There was a gaping hole in the side of the ship, the inside of which was blackened and burnt.

"Well, that would explain why they wouldn't answer our hails. You have the med-kit, right?" asked Sokka, uncharacteristically serious. Aang looked sick. Toph looked impassive, but her leg was bouncing up and down at a furious rate.

"We'll need space suits" was all Katara said, already heading for the ship's hatch, Aang on her heels. Once they were in the cargo bay, she took a deep breath, calming her screaming nerves, then slipped on her space suit. She tapped the comm unit on her wrist. "Sokka? Can you hear me?"

" _Yep,_ " her brother replied. " _I'm sending Toph down with you guys, but I'll keep an eye on the sensors and let you know if anyone's coming our way._ "

"All right," said Katara. "Tell her to hurry."

"It's an Agni Kai ship," Aang said suddenly. Katara turned to look at him. "The style - it's Agni Kai," he repeated. "That's where I'd seen it before - it's one of their destroyers."

"What's an Agni Kai destroyer doing around here? We're awfully close to the Cluster," Katara frowned.

"It's Agni Kai?" Toph said, landing with a thud on the deck. "I bet they have some sweet weapons systems."

"It's probably been drifting," Aang said to Katara. "We ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Toph said, setting her helmet on her head.

"Hey, Sokka, are we alongside that hole yet?" Katara asked.

" _Just about,_ " Sokka said. " _We should be able to fit inside, so I'll get right up to the inner door. You'll need to engage the docking attachment seal so their air doesn't get sucked out when we open the doors; I'm pretty sure the ship sealed itself after the hull breach._ "

"Just tell me when we're up against their door," Aang said.

" _Will do_."

There were a few tense moments as Sokka maneuvered the ship into position. Then there was a thud. " _I'm right up against their inner door,_ " Sokka reported. Aang punched the button to engage the docking attachment. "Equalizing," said the cool female voice of the computer. The airlock doors slid open to reveal a short plastic tunnel - the docking attachment - and another sealed door with a keypad.

"I got it," said Aang, crossing the tunnel. Within a minute the door opened with a hiss.

Toph sucked in a breath. Aang recoiled. Katara gasped, holding back a wave of nausea.

" _What? What's wrong?"_ asked Sokka, worried.

"They're dead," said Katara, numbly. "They're all dead."

The hall was littered with corpses - those of the Agni Kai crewmen, intermixed with Oma and Water Tribe men.

"Pirates," said Toph, a dark scowl on her face. Aang looked like he was going to be sick.

"Sokka, scan for life signs," Katara ordered, cursing herself for not doing it before. She'd been so sure there would be plenty of survivors.

" _Uh… I got one,_ " Sokka reported.

"One?" Toph repeated, incredulous. "In the entire _ship?_ "

" _Yeah, and it's really weak. Check the bridge,"_ he replied.

"Aang, are the turbolifts working?" asked Katara.

"They should be," the A'pa boy replied, looking down at his scanner. "Yep. The bridge is the top level."

"You know the layout of Agni Kai ships? I thought they didn't let anyone study them," Toph said as they picked their way over to the turbolift at the end of the hall. Aang shrugged.

"There have been a couple leaked schematics on the net, and I know they all follow the same basic layout if it's an Armada ship, which I'm pretty sure this one is," he replied, as the lift began climbing.

"Their art-grav is still on, and I think life-support must still be mostly functioning," said Katara, thinking out loud. "But they've sustained some serious damage. Where did we come in?"

"Engineering, I think," Aang answered, fingers tapping nervously on his thighs.

Suddenly Toph slammed her fist against the wall, making her two companions jump.

"Toph - " started Katara, surprised.

"This is _our_ problem!" the Shu girl snapped. "The Cluster's. _We're_ the ones who should be dealing with this. Now this whole crew's been slaughtered… " She fell silent, pressing her lips together tightly.

"Not the whole crew," Katara said. Toph looked up.

"Right. How big _is_ this ship?!" she exclaimed, as the turbolift continued to rise.

"We're almost there," said Aang, glancing at the keypad, where the deck numbers continued to rise. "Get the med-kit ready."

"Sokka, you still there?" Katara asked.

" _Right here_ ," her brother replied.

"Good. What's the range on these comm-sets?"

" _Don't know. I haven't had time to test them yet._ "

The lift door hissed open.

Although Katara was expecting more corpses, she was not expecting to see a massive hole in the bridge door that looked like it had been made by laser cutters. She was also not expecting the bridge to have more dead pirates than crewmen. Apparently the officers of an Agni Kai Armada ship were not to be trifled with. She'd never met an Agni Kai, though of course she'd heard stories of their ferocity and prowess in battle. You didn't grow up the daughter of the chief of a major galactic power without picking up some galactic politics.

"Here! This one!" Aang cried, standing over a prone figure. Katara hurried over, yanking open the med-kit. She dropped to her knees and carefully turned the Agni Kai man onto his back.

And gasped. His uniform was soaked with blood and torn in several places where laser bursts had grazed him. An angry red scar stretched over his left eye. The handle of a knife still protruded from his ribs. She was surprised he _was_ still alive. She knew in an instant that the med-kit wasn't going to be enough for the knife wound - he must have serious internal damage already. She looked up at Aang, who was looking sick again. "Is is safe to depressurize the suit in here? I need to take my gloves off."

He checked his scanner. "All clear."

"Toph, be ready to take him back to the turbolift," Katara ordered, whipping off her gloves. She paused for a moment, considering how she was going to do this. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, then pulled out the knife, quickly sticking her fingers in the wound as the blood welled up around her fingers. The Agni Kai man twitched.

Katara's hands began to glow blue. She willed the ripped tissues to mend, the blood to clot, the pain to fade. She felt the energy draining out of her and into the wound. She kept her hands in his side, wanting to heal as much of the internal damage as she could.

The injured man let out a groan, still unconscious. Katara winced in sympathy, but continued her healing, knitting the flesh together.

Her vision was swimming. She blinked back spots - she could feel that the majority of the damage was almost healed. Unfortunately, that last bit required more energy than she had, and she felt herself slump, utterly spent. She gave one last burst of energy - _come on, heal! -_ and then her eyes slipped shut of their own accord and she slid to the ground.


	4. Water Tribe

4\. Water Tribe

* * *

Zuko woke with a groan. His side was throbbing; his shoulder and his thigh were burning with a dull ache. He could hear voices above him, but couldn't muster the energy to open his eyes. Instead, he tried to make sense of the conversation going on around him.

"… what were you thinking?" a young man's voice was demanding.

There was a reply, but he couldn't quite make it out.

"So you just kept going until you passed out?" the young man continued, exasperated.

Another faint reply. Zuko wondered where he was, and cracked an eyelid. He shut it just as quickly - wherever he was, it was very bright. Not his ship, then - all lights had been on their emergency setting.

"She'll be fine," another young man with a slightly higher voice said. "She wasn't injured."

"Still!" the first voice said, sounding annoyed. An intercom crackled on above him.

" _Hey, Sokka,"_ a girl's voice said. " _This ship isn't going to pilot itself. Get up here._ " There was a pause, then the intercom came back on. " _Unless you want to send Aang up so you can keep yelling at your sister and let_ me _pilot_ …"

"No!" the first voice yelped. "I'm coming!" Zuko heard hurried footsteps, fading quickly. Sokka. That was a Water Tribe name - where had he heard that name before? Wait, he'd been picked up by a Water Tribe ship? Well, they might be Oma. Either way, the pirates must have towed him further than he'd thought. Assuming this wasn't another band of pirates.

He tried opening his eyes again, squinting against the light. He was in a clean-looking white room - most likely a med-bay. There was a bald boy sporting a blue, arrow-shaped tattoo on his head leaning against the wall across from him. _A'pa_ , Zuko thought, fascinated. He'd never seen one, though he'd heard stories - they were famous for their navigation skills.

"Hey, Katara," the A'pa boy said, his wide gray eyes catching Zuko's. "He's awake."

"Is he? Good," someone said, and a young, vaguely familiar Water Tribe woman came into view. She had dark circles under her eyes, but she smiled at him warmly.

"You're on the Water Tribe ship _Penguin Runner_ ," she informed him. "We found your ship drifting not far from here." A shadow crossed her face. "You were the only survivor."

Zuko shut his eyes. All his men, dead. But there was honor in death, and the highest honor to those who died in battle. It was a good death, and there would be time to mourn later. For now, he needed to determine where he was. He cleared his throat; his mouth was bone-dry.

"What's your name?" the Water Tribe woman asked.

"Zuko," he rasped, then coughed.

"Here," said the A'pa boy, handing him a small cup with water in it. He nodded his thanks.

"I'm Zuko," he repeated. "Midshipman aboard the Armada destroyer _Blue Spirit._ " He wasn't about to go around telling everyone that he was the heir to the Agni Kai Empire, and he didn't want a bunch of potentially dangerous questions about how he'd gotten to be a captain so young. Better to be cautious and, much as he disliked the thought, dishonest for now.

"Zuko," said the Water Tribe woman, as if fixing it into her memory. "I'm Katara, and this is Aang. You're on my brother Sokka's ship."

Zuko remembered the person on the intercom telling Sokka to stop yelling at his sister. "You're the one who passed out?" he said aloud, then blinked. He had meant for that to stay unspoken. They must have him on painkillers or something.

"Heard that, did you?" Katara said, sighing. "I have the Water Tribe gift of healing, and you had a knife sticking out of your ribs. I had to take care of all the internal damage - which I did - but I don't use my gift very often, and the drain on my energy was… a little much."

"So then Toph had to drag _you_ back to the ship, and I had to lug _her_ behind," Aang added with a grin. Katara hit his arm.

"Toph?" asked Zuko, frowning at the unfamiliar name.

"Our copilot. She's a Shu," Aang explained.

Zuko filed the information away for later. A Shu, with their species' incredible strength, would make it hard to get away if the crew decided to… withdraw their hospitality. So, in fact, would a healer, he thought, looking at Katara. He wasn't going to fully trust these people quite yet. He faked a yawn, hoping they would take the hint.

"Healing drains your energy," Katara said in an understanding voice, blue eyes sparkling. "We'll let you rest." Then she paused and turned back. "I… I'm sorry about your face - I would have healed that, too, but for some reason I couldn't get it to work." Confused, Zuko reached a hand up to his face, but all he felt was the normal, scarred flesh of his left cheek. Then understanding dawned.

"It's an old wound," he said. "It's all scar tissue."

"Ah," Katara said, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. She slipped out of the med-bay, Aang right on her heels.

Zuko leaned back in his bed and shut his eyes. He needed to think this through.

1\. He was on a Water Tribe ship - but what kind? Were they on an official mission? Why had they picked him up?

2\. What was happening back home? Someone had hired the pirates to murder him; did that mean there had been a coup back home? Had they killed the Fire Lord? Or Azula? Uncle?

3\. For that matter, who had hired those pirates? He could only assume it was an Agni Kai - as far as he knew, none of the other galactic powers had reason to try to assassinate him,

He scowled. Assassination was a treacherous, dishonorable way of dealing with one's enemies, one that no self-respecting Agni Kai would stoop to. And hiring someone else to do it for you - ! Clearly, he was dealing with underhanded scum here, not fit to live under the Code.

Avenging the death of shipmates was considered an honorable reason for seeking a fight. _I swear by the Code that I will not cease, I will not be satisfied, until my crew has been properly avenged._ There. That was a binding oath, and he would hold to it. Then he began the ritual Agni Kai chant for the dead in his mind.

 _From flames, to flames; from stars, to stars; thus your spirit passes, and thus I commend it to Agni himself, in the hall of warriors…_


	5. Can We Keep Him?

5\. Can We Keep Him?

* * *

"I should've been down there," Toph complained, putting her feet up on her console. "I could have told you if he was lying about anything." The Shu girl had a unique talent of sensing vibrations - such as a liar's racing heartbeat - through metal; it was something to do with the resonance of her own stone body. It made her an invaluable asset, which is why no one but Aang, Sokka, and Katara knew about it. She didn't want her parents to use her for their own political ends, and the fewer people who knew about her gift, the better.

"You'll be able to talk to him soon, he's almost healed," Katara said. "I think the Agni Kai may have some regenerative ability - he's healing frighteningly fast."

"Cool," said Toph. "What's his name, again?"

"Zuko," Katara reported. Sokka frowned.

"Katara, have you heard that name before? It sounds familiar." She furrowed her brow, thinking.

"Can't say I have - it might be a common Agni Kai name, though. Why?"

" _I_ can't remember! You're the one who always knows stuff!" Sokka protested.

"Sokka, you can't just count on me to remember everything for you," she started, exasperated.

"Guys," Toph interrupted, a warning in her voice. She jerked her head toward the cockpit entrance. A moment later, Zuko appeared. He was very pale, but otherwise looked fine. He'd changed out of his bloody uniform and had put on one of the blue jumpsuits that Katara had left for him.

"You're up," Katara said, rather stupidly.

"Where are we going?" he asked, ignoring her.

"Nowhere, for now," Sokka said, swinging around in his pilot's chair to face the newcomer. If possible, the Agni Kai man's face went even paler.

"You! You're the - " Then he clamped his mouth shut. They all stared at him.

"I'm the _what_?" Sokka asked in a dangerously calm voice. Toph took her feet off her console. Zuko didn't answer. Aang straightened up quietly.

"Answer the question," said Toph.

"He's the Water Tribe heir," Zuko said. "So you," he continued, gesturing at Katara, "are the Water Tribe diplomatic liaison with the Ba Sing Se Cluster and _you_ ," he said, pointing a shaky finger toward Toph, "are the daughter of the leaders of the majority party in the Parliament." He slid down against the wall. "They're all just _kids_ ," he mumbled to himself.

"Hey!" said Sokka, who had sharp ears. "I'm twenty, thank you!"

"You can't be much older than we are," Aang said, frowning slightly.

"How do you know all of this?" Toph demanded, seizing the Agni Kai soldier by the shoulders and slamming him up against the bulkhead. He coughed.

"Careful," Katara warned, her alarm at being recognized warring with her healer's instincts.

"How do you know?" Toph yelled, switching her grip from his shoulders to hold him by the throat.

"Basic - military - strategy - " he choked. "Know - important - figures - "

"Let him down," Sokka said. Toph released him; Zuko collapsed to the deck.

"What was your position again?" Toph asked.

"Midshipman aboard the _Blue Spirit,_ " Zuko replied.

"Liar," she said. "Try again." Zuko's face tightened. Katara frowned. Sokka folded his arms over his chest.

"Fine," Zuko growled. "Captain."

"Captain? Of a ship like _that_?" Sokka exclaimed. Zuko grimaced.

"Yes."

"How'd you run into the pirates?" Aang asked.

Zuko sighed. "They set us up with a mock-injured freighter - we were honor-bound to offer them assistance. Once we got them near the border, they hit us with a stealth ship and boarded us. You can probably figure out the rest."

"Bastards," said Toph coldly. "Pulling a trick like that." Zuko gave her a surprised look.

The nav-computer pinged. Katara looked over at it. "We've got incoming," she said. "Unknown ship approaching, 150 klicks."

"Aang, get them on comms," Sokka ordered. "You, stay out of sight," he added, jerking his head at Zuko, who slipped onto the ladder leading up to the cockpit; he was out of sight but not out of earshot.

"It's a freighter," Aang reported, "Sensors are showing that much. But no response yet." Zuko's head reappeared at the top of the ladder.

"Let me see it," he ordered. The A'pa boy moved to the side so Zuko could get a look at the screen. Katara watched as some of the tension left his shoulders. "It's not the same one," he said, sounding relieved.

"You think the pirates were monitoring your ship?" Sokka asked, still waiting for a reply from the other ship.

"It would be foolish not to," Zuko said, stepping back down the ladder.

"Toph, head down to the turret," Sokka said.

"Yessir," she grinned. "Outta my way, Cap," she added to Zuko, jumping out of the cockpit over him.

The comm unit crackled. " _This is Ba Sing Se freighter_ Elephant Koi _. Why are you hailing us?_ " The voice sounded annoyed, like he had better things to be doing.

"Hey, _Elephant Koi,_ this is Water Tribe ship _Penguin Runner_. Just wanted to let you know that there's a rogue freighter running around that's crewed by pirates, possibly in this area," Sokka said cheerfully, as if trying to annoy them more.

There was a pause while the freighter's crew digested this. " _What's its call sign?_ " the captain finally asked.

"Ba Sing Se freighter _Heart of Glass_ ," Zuko whispered to Katara, who relayed it to her brother.

"Ba Sing Se freighter _Heart of Glass,_ " Sokka repeated.

" _Acknowledged."_ the _Elephant Koi_ 's captain replied. " _Thank you,_ Penguin Runner. _Recommend you advise the Ba Sing Se Defense Force of the situation._ Elephant Koi _out._ " The comm crackled off.

"Oh, yeah! The Defense Force!" Sokka exclaimed. "I forgot about them!" Aang slapped a palm to his forehead. "Hey, Toph," Sokka continued, keying the intercom. "You can come back up now."

" _You're no fun,_ " she grumbled. The intercom clicked off.

"Aang, get the Defense Force's vid-frequency," Sokka said. "They should know about the rogue freighter."

"Don't mention me," Zuko ordered, coming back up into the cockpit. Sokka turned to look at him.

"Why not?"

"It'll be better if the pirates think there were no survivors," the Agni Kai man said, folding his arms over his chest. "Say that I must have managed to get the ship's ID into my ship's log before dying."

"You want me to lie to the Defense Force?" Sokka said, raising an eyebrow.

"It'll make you less of a target if the pirates find out," Zuko said with a shrug.

"Putting in a vid-call to the Defense Force now," Sokka said slowly. "Get back down out of sight."

"Thank you," said Zuko, and disappeared down the ladder once again. Aang slipped out of the co-pilot's seat as Toph climbed back into the cockpit.

The vid-screen flickered to life, showing an Oma girl with chin-length auburn hair and a blank expression. "You've reached the Ba Sing Se Defense Force flagship, _Kyoshi's Sword_ ," she said. "Please state your coordinates and your reason for contacting us." Then she blinked and looked at them more closely. "Sokka?" she asked, mouth falling open.

"Hey! Long time no see - it's Suki, right? Anyway, we're at 85x, 33y, 29z - " The screen shut off. Sokka stared at it, jaw hanging. "Did she just hang up on us?"

"I don't think she's forgiven you for that tour yet," Katara said, biting back a laugh. Two years ago, Sokka had visited the Ba Sing Se Cluster in his official capacity as heir to the Water Tribe clans. This had included a tour of _Kyoshi's Sword_. Sokka had been distracted by the ship's weaponry and had wandered down to the torpedo bay, which was a restricted area. Their guide for the day, Suki, whom Sokka had been flirting with the whole time, had gotten a reprimand from her superior officer and had been furious with Sokka. Apparently she still held a grudge.

The vid-screen flicked back on. "Sorry, could you repeat your coordinates?" a Shu man with marbled skin asked.

"85x, 33y, 29z," Sokka said, crossing his arms over his chest. "What happened to Suki?"

"She is currently unavailable," the Shu said, his mouth twitching slightly, as if trying to suppress a smile. "State your issue, please."

"We ran across a gutted Agni Kai destroyer at 67x, 92y, 3z," Sokka reported. "On further investigation, we discovered there were no survivors, but that the captain had managed to record the incident in the ship's log before he died. They were set up by a pirate ship posing as a freighter, call sign Ba Sing Se ship _Heart of Glass_. The ship may still be around those coordinates."

"Noted," the Shu man said, a grave expression on his face.

"A pirate stealth ship was also mentioned," Sokka added.

"Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention," the Shu replied, nodding. "We will notify the Agni Kai Armada as well. This will be dealt with swiftly." The vid-screen clicked off.

"I still can't believe she hung up on me," Sokka grumbled. Toph grinned maliciously, sensing fodder for a whole new world of sly remarks.

"Did I hear something about the Armada?" Zuko asked, coming back into the cockpit.

"The Defense Force said they would notify them of the attack," said Katara. A pained look crossed the young man's scarred face.

"I suppose it would have happened eventually," he said cryptically.

"I have a question," started Aang in a thoughtful tone. "Why did they go to that much trouble to lure you out? Setting the whole thing up with the freighter and the stealth ship - that's a lot of fuel used on one ship that was already in Agni Kai territory. Why the big effort?"

"They were hired to kill me," Zuko said carefully. "I have… many enemies."

"Because you're so young for a captain?" Sokka asked. Zuko shrugged.

"So you don't know who did it?" Katara asked with a frown.

"I'll let you know when I narrow it down," he replied dryly. "Where are we going now?"

"I assume you need a ride home?" Sokka said, raising an eyebrow, but the Agni Kai man shook his head.

"They'll all think I'm dead, and I want keep it that way for now. It'll make it easier to investigate."

"You're welcome to stay on with us as long as you need to," said Katara, lapsing into what Sokka called her "gracious-diplomat mode". Zuko looked surprised, then bowed deeply with his hands in front of him, one in a fist, one open.

"Your hospitality does you honor," he said, his voice slipping into a more formal tone. Behind him, Aang's eyebrows shot up.

"Well, _someone_ has manners," Toph commented. "We should keep him."

* * *

 **A/N:** I believe Millie commented on the lack of recognition between people who are all major players in galactic politics? So, I was kind of thinking, _J_ _ust wait until the this chapter,_ but I do believe a bit more background is in order, because I have all of this in my head, but I haven't told you guys yet!

Since I'm a nerd, I went and basically designed a unique system of government for each of my four "nations" and so we have the Ba Sing Se Parliament, the Water Tribe clans (which are basically self-governing, but all answer to Hakoda - sort of like a federal system), and the Agni Kai empire (ruled by Ozai and his four generals - more on that later).

The thing about the Agni Kai, however, is that they have been _spectacularly_ isolationist under the last few Fire Lords (a bit like Imperial Japan in the 1600's, but more strict). They have spies out in the galaxy, of course, that keep the Fire Lord informed, but Agni Kai don't leave the empire, and _certainly_ no one comes in, which has been the case for at least a century. This is why Katara and Sokka have never actually seen an Agni Kai, and Zuko has never seen an A'pa, in person.

Also due to this isolationism, leaders in the rest of the galaxy know the identity of the Fire Lord and the General (also called Dragon) of the Agni Kai Armada - that's who the Defense Force will be calling - but they don't know the identity of the crown prince, for security reasons. Not that it seems to have helped Zuko.

I hope that helped clear a few things up?

Millie, I think you also mentioned ages. Sokka is twenty, as we find out in this chapter :) Katara is 19, which is young for a diplomat, but she's the best there is at what she does - usually. Her dad's also in charge of the Water Tribe clans, though. We'll get into that more later. Aang and Toph are 17. Zuko is 21. Basically, I just aged them up a bit from the show - they're still the same distance apart.

So, yeah! Tell me if that makes a bit more sense, and thank you for pointing out my plot gaps, it really is helpful.


	6. The Man Behind The Curtain

6\. The Man Behind The Curtain

* * *

"All right, setting course for home!" Sokka announced, punching their previous coordinates into the nav-computer. "Also, dinner in ten minutes," he added.

"You just ate!" Katara protested.

"But _he_ didn't, and he's just been through a healing," her brother replied, jerking his head toward Zuko, who was watching them with an inscrutable expression on his face. Katara was surprised at her brother's thoughtfulness until he added, "That, and making vid-calls makes me hungry. So let's make it in five!"

Katara and Aang glanced at each other and sighed quietly.

* * *

"So," Sokka said to Zuko through a mouthful of food. "How'd you get to be a captain in the Agni Kai Armada at your age?"

"Ignore him," Katara ordered, before Zuko could say anything. He glanced at her, one eyebrow raised. "Until he has good manners, just pretend he isn't there. We have to train him somehow," she added in a stage whisper.

"I'm not a polar bear-dog that needs training," Sokka growled, sounding very much like a polar bear-dog.

"Until you start acting like the heir to the Water Tribe, I'll keep doing it," Katara warned.

"Oh, I'm Katara, I'm responsible, I talk to Ba Sing Se diplomats every day," Sokka mocked. "Just because you're - "

"Come on, guys," Aang interrupted. "We do have a guest…"

"Eh, he's part of the crew now," Toph said, looking up from her plate for the first time. "He can take a little bit of sibling rivalry."

The Agni Kai man muttered something that sounded like, "You have no idea."

"Do you have siblings?" Aang asked, having heard this comment.

"A younger sister," he replied.

"Do you get along?"

"No," Zuko said shortly, effectively ending that line of questioning.

"Anyway," Sokka said with a nasty look at Katara, "back to the original question - how'd you get to be a captain so young?"

Zuko sighed and thought about how to put this. "My uncle is rather high up in the Armada, which was a help. But I am very good at what I do." Top of the cadet class, top of everything in basic training and the Command Academy - but, of course, the Fire Lord expected no less from his only son and heir.

"Are you being vague on purpose?" Toph demanded, scowling at him. "Because if you are, it's really starting to irritate me."

"I don't know you," he replied coolly, "and I don't feel the need to tell every detail of my life to people I don't know." He stood. "If you'll excuse me," he said with the smallest of bows, then strode out of the mess, heading for the cabin Katara had quickly shown him before dinner.

He collapsed on the bunk with a scowl, putting one arm over his eyes. He could hear his mother's voice in his head. _Zuko, is that any way to treat your hosts?_

 _No, Mother,_ he replied silently, _but they shouldn't have been asking questions._ Then he shook his head. Stupid. He must be more tired from the healing than he thought, if he was having mental conversations with his mother. Still, it had been annoying, all the questions they were asking.

He had to admit, the Water Tribe heir didn't act like one - much like the sister had pointed out. The sister - his only excuse for not recognizing her the moment he opened his eyes was disorientation, but that was an excuse, and no excuse was acceptable to an Agni Kai. He was still angry with himself for that particular blunder.

The Shu girl was a problem. None of the intelligence reports he'd ever seen had made any mention of a lie-detecting ability. It was uncanny, the way she'd looked him straight in the eye and called him a liar. Azula always claimed he was a terrible liar, but this was something else altogether.

At least there was a silver lining, if you could call it that, he thought grimly. Whoever it was that had tried to have him killed thought they'd succeeded. He allowed himself a moment to think of his mother and his uncle, then brutally shut the thought down. He needed to think through this.

So, someone had tried to have him killed. This someone obviously had considerable resources - they'd hired pirates, and Zuko had a feeling that they weren't cheaply come by. This person also had to be somewhat high up, because troop missions and ship movements were known only to the Fire Lord, the four Dragons, the seven admirals, and, occasionally, Azula, since she was a) royalty and b) going through her own training at the Command Academy for her captaincy.

He could rule out his Uncle Iroh, Dragon of the West, head of the Armada, immediately. His father… well, his father was strict, but Zuko had done nothing to displease him, and the Fire Lord was nothing if not just. It was a hard justice - the Code demanded it - but it was still justice. And besides - the Fire Lord would not stoop to assassination, especially not of his own heir.

Zuko briefly considered Azula, then ruled her out. She didn't have the time or the resources, not when she was in the Academy, and she wasn't going to waste time doing anything that would put her captaincy in jeopardy. She didn't need the Empire, just a crew who would do her bidding. Though he pitied her crew. Honestly, Zuko didn't really _want_ the Empire either - the responsibility alone! - but it was his duty, and he would fulfil it to the best of his ability. The Code required nothing less.

That left him with the seven admirals and the three remaining Dragons. The admirals he mentally ran through and dismissed. None of them were ambitious enough to try and assassinate the Crown Prince, and it wouldn't do most of them any good anyway.

He was down to three: Piandao, Dragon of the East, in charge of the army; Jeong Jeong, Dragon of the North, in charge of internal defense; and Zhao, Dragon of the South, who oversaw the intelligence force of the Empire. Of those three, when it came down to resources, time, ambition, and just general dislike of Zuko, none stood out further than Zhao.

The dislike had been mutual, but now as Zuko thought it over, it sharpened into hatred. One of his father's top generals, his most trusted advisors - the man in charge of all the information that came into the Agni Kai - was a scum-sucking, Code-breaking, smug, ambitious _bastard_ who hired _pirates_ to try and _assassinate_ the one person who was in his way. The Fire Lord named his heir officially when they came of age, which Zuko just had, at 21, but if the heir was still underage, like Azula - who would be the heir in his place, now that everyone thought he was dead - a special advisor would be named. No doubt Zhao would find a way to maneuver himself into that position instead of Iroh, the slimy -

Zuko froze. What if Zhao's ambitions extended beyond direct influence on the next Fire Lord? What if he wanted to be Fire Lord himself and proceeded to stage a coup? He could do so easily, being in charge of the intelligence service - they specialized in quiet removal of threats, Zuko had seen it himself during the slave rebellion several years ago. And coups had been known to happen - in fact, though they weren't particularly proud of it now, that was how the current dynasty had begun its reign. Now it seemed as though Zhao was ready to begin his own dynasty.

Zuko had to stop him.

* * *

 **A/N:** Kudos to Millie, who knows what I am going to write before I even write it. (Does this mean I'm getting predictable? :/ ) Also, I'm glad I could clear up any confusion :)

So now we know who's trying to kill Zuko... the dastardly Zhao! We'll see more of him later. Plus, coming soon, more pirates!


End file.
